Intimate Wedding in Italy: 7 Ideas for a Meaningful Experience
- Federica Tamborini
- Apr 8, 2024
- 6 min read
Updated: 18 hours ago
How to Plan an Intimate Wedding in Italy
Planning an intimate wedding in Italy starts with deciding what kind of experience you want to create for yourselves and your guests.
"We want an intimate, simple and different kind of wedding. Is that possible?"
It is a question I often hear from couples who are beginning to imagine their wedding in Italy.
And my answer is yes.
An intimate wedding does not have to be a traditional wedding with fewer guests. It can be something completely different: a multi-day experience built around the couple and the people they have chosen to share it with.
A welcome dinner, a day exploring the local area, a relaxed dinner under the stars, meaningful moments with family and friends and a farewell brunch can turn an intimate wedding in Italy into a true destination wedding experience.
And one thing is worth clarifying from the start: intimate does not mean low cost. It means having the opportunity to focus your time, attention and budget on what matters most.
7 tips for a truly intimate wedding in Italy
The main advice I would like to give to all those engaged couples who are about to organize their intimate wedding in Italy, not to compromise: therefore, first of all evaluate what you want, how you want to achieve it and the basis of your priorities. And if you haven't already done so, go read my post on alternative wedding, I hope you will find ideas that will win you over!
But now let's get to us. Do you want a truly alternative and intimate wedding in Italy?
Below are the 5 aspects/advice to consider for organizing an alternative Italian wedding:
Start with the Guest List
Turn Your Wedding into a Multi-Day Experience
Choose a Venue You Can Truly Experience
Create Experiences to Share with Your Guests
Start the Weekend with a Welcome Dinner
Create Meaningful Personal Moments
End the Weekend with a Farewell Brunch
Before moving forward with this post, if you haven't already, I invite you to read the complete guide to Getting Married in Italy and the INVESTMENT & VISION for a destination wedding in Italy and why choose LE MARCHE for your destination wedding in Italy and why choose ROMAGNA for your destination wedding in Italy
1. Start with the Guest List
Let's start immediately with the key element that distinguishes an intimate and alternative wedding from a classic and traditional one: the number of guests. Forget crowds of 100, 150 if not 200 guests. Here we are few, but good and, above all, true... 30, 40, maximum 50.
Think about it carefully: how many people do you hang out with every day, relatives and friends who really know you and who are actively part of your daily life? 15, 20, maximum 25. Multiply by two and you're done.
There isn't a magic number that defines an intimate wedding. For some couples, it means 15 guests; for others, 30 or 50. The point isn't reaching a specific number, but asking yourselves: who do we truly want by our side when we imagine this day?
2. Turn Your Wedding into a Multi-Day Experience
Foreigners who come to get married in Italy arrive at least one day before the wedding and leave the day after. Often, both the couple and the guests extend their stay up to a week (particularly the spouses from overseas). What could be more delicious and special than spending an entire weekend in the company of friends and relatives who will be with us on the big day? Precisely because the guests were selected, thinking of spending 3 days exclusively with the truest people, closest to us is the most alternative solution that can be adopted.
3. Choose a Venue You Can Truly Experience
Choosing to organize an alternative wedding in Italy, especially in Romagna and Marche is very simple: there are many locations that allow guests and the couple to stay: Palazzo Serre, Casa Preziosa, il Maniero, Villa Tombolina, Ca' Bevilacqua, la Monteduccia, Corte San Ruffillo, just to name a few.
4. Create Experiences to Share with Your Guests
In the afternoon of the day of arrival you can organize painting or cooking courses, walks in the mountains or hills, wine and oil tastings, horseback riding, boat excursions, etc. In short, the idea of offering your guests hours to spend together, in complete freedom, carrying out activities that they would otherwise never have done alone and then, also in your company, I think is truly alternative and interesting for everyone. On the portal of Cicero Experience you will surely find many ideas!
5. Start the Weekend with a Welcome Dinner
What could be more welcoming and delicious than organizing a welcome dinner for all the guests who will be attending your wedding the next day? A pizza party, a barbecue or a dinner by the sea... The guests relax, get to know each other, the atmosphere warms up. An informal dinner that helps everyone feel even more involved and "selected" for such an important event as the wedding of their couple of friends or relatives.
6. Create Meaningful Personal Moments
I propose to take advantage of the opportunity of all coming together to say to each other all those things that we would otherwise never have the courage to say. Either during the aperitif or as soon as you sit at the table or between one meal and another, it is nice to listen to the thoughts, words, poems and writings of your friends and relatives. Speeches written especially for you or thoughts that you yourself would like to say to your guests. They are unique, unrepeatable moments, full of emotions that you will hardly forget. Nothing but jokes!
7. End the Weekend with a Farewell Brunch
Last but not least, the big farewell before leaving and everyone returning home. If it's late in the evening, it's unlikely you'll have breakfast and then the alternative is the late morning brunch which will surely please everyone. Often the locations themselves offer this service or you can think of hiring a private chef who comes to the location and prepares everything without you or your guests having to worry about anything. It will certainly be a pleasant thing to start the day with homemade desserts and savory delicacies typical of the area. All accompanied by a good local wine, whether from Romagna or the Marche, it will certainly be a success!
An intimate wedding does not mean a low-budget wedding.
Having fewer guests does not necessarily mean spending less. It can mean having more freedom to invest in the elements that matter most: an exceptional venue, outstanding food and wine, thoughtful design, photography, music and meaningful experiences for your guests.
The point isn't spending less, but deciding where it’s truly worth investing.
An Intimate Wedding Can Become a True Italian Experience
An intimate wedding is not simply about having fewer guests.
It is about having more time to connect, choosing a venue that becomes part of the experience, discovering the local area together and creating memories that extend far beyond the wedding day.
And this is what makes a destination wedding in Italy so special: it is not only about the moment you say "I do", but about everything you experience before and after it.
Learn more about wedding budgets by reading my guide, How Much Does a Wedding in Italy Cost?
If you are planning a destination wedding in Italy and would like professional guidance, you can learn more about my wedding planning services in Italy here.
And if you need to talk to me, if you want to know more about how I work and what I can do for you, what are you waiting for?
Finally, if you haven't yet:
Discover Destination Wedding in Italy: How to Plan an Authentic and Refined Experience
Discover the complete guide to Getting Married in Italy
Discover how to choose an Italy Wedding Planner
Discover how much a Wedding Planner costs in Italy
Discover how much a Destination Wedding in Italy costs. The definitive guide
Discover the INVESTMENT & VISION for a destination wedding in Italy
Why choose LE MARCHE for your destination wedding in Italy
Why choose ROMAGNA for your destination wedding in Italy
Why choose UMBRIA for your destination wedding in Italy
Why choose ABRUZZO for your destination wedding in Italy
View my real weddings planned in Italy
EnJoy!
Federica
Your Planner in Romagna, Marche, Umbria & Abruzzo
